Surprised Ever After

Ch 2: Stay-at-Home Mom

Charlotte

The mix of Ashton's aftershave and perfume hits my nostrils before I can feel his presence behind me. Right when I look sideways, his warm lips land on my cheek.

"Good morning, sexy," he mumbles, his lips hovering on my skin.

"Hey," I reply and smile. "Morning. Slept well?"

"A bit too well."

Warmth creeps across my cheeks as my mind travels to our wild sex last night. It was rather unconventional, but making good use of the free stuff I collected during my time with ErosBross is refreshing sometimes.

As if he knows what flashes through my head, he adds, "Let's try the other body strap tonight. The red one." He trails kisses to my jaw and neck, his warm breath caressing my skin.

"Get a room, you two." Chloe's voice stops Ashton's movement and prompts us to turn in her direction. We didn't hear her footsteps climb down the stairs. Not that it would stop Ashton from kissing me, but maybe not a passionate kiss all over my neck, like now.

"Get a room?" I ask, squirming inwardly when Ashton detaches himself from me to grab a cup of coffee. "Do the girls at school say that a lot?"

Chloe jumps onto her chair at the breakfast counter and shrugs. "I guess."

I tilt my head, trying to picture eleven-year-old kids saying it to their friends. "So, they kiss at school? Already?" I can't hide my horror tone. This is Chloe's last year in primary school, but she's still too young to see her friends kissing. Way too young.

She stares at me with her usual 'duh' look. "I thought you knew."

With one hand on my waist and the other on my lips, I try to recall the specific occasion when Chloe told me about the kissing kiddos at her school. Nothing comes up in my head. "No. I didn't know."

"Well, they do, though," she says. "Not all of them, and not openly. But this is a secret, yes? Promise me you won't tell Dave."

Ashton's head snaps. "Who's Dave?"

"He was Mam's boss before she moved to your company." When Ashton nods with a lingering confusion on his face, Chloe continues. "Matthew has a girlfriend now, and they kiss a lot. It's gross," she says, scrunching her nose.

"Who's Matthew?" Ashton asks again.

"Dave's son," Chloe and I chorus, glaring at him at the same time because he asked the same question three months ago.

"Okay, okay." He raises his hand in defeat. "No need to bite my head off. It's not easy to remember names if I haven't met them in person."

"Have the teachers seen them?" I ask further as Ashton buries his face in his coffee mug.

She shakes her head. "No, of course not. They know hidden spots to kiss. I mean, we all know places to hide around the school building."

"Oh, god..." I whimper, imagining those kiddos sneaking around to kiss. Shouldn't they talk about their grades instead? Or play on a climbing net maybe? It's not like Choe's school doesn't have enough equipment in its playground. I gulp. "You haven't, have you?"

"Have what? Kissed a boy? Nope," she says, firmly shaking her head, but I can tell her cheeks turn slightly rosy. I know she has a crush on a boy called Tyler at school, and he looks like a kid who loves trouble. I just need to make sure he's not giving her one.

I turn around to tidy up the kitchen counter, but my mind still can't let it go. "Has Marrisa done it, by the way?"

"Uh, once. She did once with her boyfriend. She didn't like it and they broke up."